Tears and Triumph
by VenusJupiter
Summary: Apollo Sanctum wasn't what anyone expected to be. Now, reeling from shock and loss, the Adepts are thrust into another crisis that will test them like never before. T for language and violence, cannon to Lull of the Ocean. Please Read and Review!
1. Not Quite a Celebration

(Aaaand here we go again. Golden Sun isn't mine, it belongs to Camelot. I take no credit whatsoever.)

Sveta ran through the woods, gasping for breath as she looked fearfully over her shoulder. Why did she have to run? Why was he chasing her? She was the hunter, the powerful she-wolf. Her instincts cried out for his blood, but she refused to satiate them. She didn't want to kill him again!

Eventually, she had to stop, sagging against a tall, sturdy tree in an attempt to calm her heart with no success. Her hair, normally braided into two ponytails that swept past her waist, was down and streaming wildly down her back. Why, she asked herself again, did he pursue her with such ill intent? They'd known each other for so long; what had changed?

Suddenly, Sveta heard the sound of metal slicing through the air, and she knew her time of rest was over. She threw herself forward, barely avoiding the blade that cleanly chopped through the trunk of the oak, the tip also taking a few strands of her lavender hair with it. She fell flat on the ground, and quickly rolled over as the sword hit the ground where she had fallen merely a second ago. She looked up at the familiar being, whimpering softly. The sound only received the responseof an angry growl as the sword began to come down again—

Blinking tears away, Sveta brought her Umbra Knuckles up in a block, pushing the sword away from her. The wielder stumbled back, not expecting her to retaliate. Choking back a sob, she sprung up and brought the deadly metal to his chest.

Sveta sat up in her bed on the pirate ship, a cry of loss escaping her lips. Her pillow was wet with tears, her bed covers disheveled all over the mattress. She shuddered, and then yelped as strong arms wrapped around her stomach—

Then she realized the arms were there in a hug. She embraced Karis tightly, sobbing into her shoulder while the gentle Jupiter Adept ran her hand through the beastgirl's long hair reassuringly.

"Volechek again?" the green-haired girl asked, her eyes filled with worry.

Sveta hesitated, and then nodded slowly. "Every time . . . He's chasing me . . ." she replied softly. Karis wasn't one to sleep when her friend was tormented with nightmares nightly. Sveta had been wracked by terrible dreams ever since a week ago when the events at Apollo Sanctum had resolved themselves. Karis, honestly, would have been even more worried if her friend hadn't shown some signs of trauma. The entire group had had a rough time throughout their journey, but the Princess of Belinsk had suffered far more than any of them; losing her brother twice during the journey, and actually having to witness it the second time when he had fired the Apollo Lens. Even Matthew, the sturdiest of them all, who had given his strength and spirit to Sveta to allow _her_ to attempt to fire the cannon when all had seemed lost, had evidently been having sleepless nights himself; from what Tyrell had told Karis.

"Sveta, the dead can't come back," the Jupiter Adept said softly, looking the beastgirl in the eyes. "Anyways, why would your brother want to hurt you? His last living action was to save you and Matthew, and the rest of the world as well. That's more than enough to show how much he wished to keep harm from visiting you."

Sveta nodded, and then smiled. "Th—thank you, Karis . . . You've been there for me this entire time," she replied, returning the embrace of her best friend. Sveta didn't have that many friends, being royalty, but she'd made several over this adventure, and she'd never forget them. "I'm lucky to have met you and the others . . ."

Karis smiled bashfully, and then slid off the bed and back into her own bunk.

"Sleep well, Sveta," she said softly, and soon enough, her own breathing joined the sound of waves lapping against the side of the hull.

Sveta's smile slowly faded, and she rearranged her covers. She slipped back into her own bed, though knew she wouldn't be sleeping well. Karis was sweet, and she meant well, but Sveta had lied to her. Sveta hadn't been dreaming about Volechek. She only told Karis that so she wouldn't worry her friend. True, she missed her brother dearly, and felt sorrow at his loss. Yet she had finished mourning, ironically, weeks before, since she had already believed him dead. She had felt a pang of grief when she saw him die, but now a different, more heartrending figure stalked her in her dreams.

Not beastman, but human.

Not a plain steel blade, but a Sol Blade.

Not Volechek, but Matthew.

And that last fact scared Sveta far more than anything else.

* * *

"I don't know what to do, Amiti," Matthew sighed, though his quiet despair did not cause him to let his guard down as he brought his blade to parry the Prince of Ayuthay's Slyph Rapier. The Sol Blade Matthew had gained up on Apollo Sanctum may have appeared large and unwieldy, but Matthew found he could move it as fast as any sword he had used before. So now Amiti had a sparring partner he could match with besides the swift Karis. And when the two male Adepts were restless, their swords clashing could be heard well into the early hours.

"I mean, I'm pretty sure Sveta has affection for me, after what Lull told me about Arangoa Prelude." Matthew still hadn't told Sveta about what he had learned. The love song his parents had danced to all those years ago was also in fact the same one that Sveta told them to play to signal her when it was time for them to reunite back during their time in Morgal. It wasn't definite proof; it could just be a coincidence, or that Sveta enjoyed the song. But given the history of the song and the effect it had on both Adepts and regular people, that seemed unlikely.

"And then . . . there's what happened at Apollo Sanctum," he continued, now bringing his sword down, only to have it deflected by Amiti's own blade.

"You mean that moment where you gave her your energy?" Amiti asked, just to confirm that was the occurrence the Venus Adept spoke of. Nobody had actually seen the transfer, except Himi, whose eyes and Psyenergy were more observant, so the event had become common knowledge.

"Exactly. Amiti, while we were connected, I felt what she felt, I saw her life and her emotions, and she saw mine. There was pain, an overwhelming amount of fear, equal resignation to her fate to die firing the cannon, just as much determination to do so. Grief at the true loss of her brother . . ." Matthew's eyes clouded over for a second, as if the events that had happened to the soon-to-be Queen of Belinsk had happened to him as well.

"But, there was also a little happiness. Happiness that I was willing to go with her and that she wouldn't have to do it alone. Amiti, for the rest of that day, even though her sorrow was great, I was sure that Sveta loved me as much as I her."

Amiti nodded, marveling at how eloquent a speaker Matthew became when he spoke of his inner thoughts. His mind then remembered the aftermath of what he, personally, had decided to call the Battle of Sol and Luna. On the way back down after she had finished crying her heart out, Sveta was very quiet, almost reflective. And Amiti, now that he thought about it, could have sworn that he had noticed a few tender glances aimed at the leader of their team. But the day following . . . Sveta had become quieter still, avoiding the company of all except Karis, her cabin mate, The only person the beastgirl divulged anything to, though Karis would not reveal the content of any of their conversations. Instead, she spent her time comforting and helping Sveta through whatever she was going through.

This was a letdown to Amiti, who had been planning to admit his feelings to the Matthew's friend since they had both survived the crisis. He wasn't sure he could keep his heart concealed much longer.

"Normally, I would say she's trying to distance herself so she does not hurt you. Like I said before, Matthew, she might have to choose between her love and her country. And if she chooses to put her people before herself, she wants to make sure she lets you down slowly, so as not to harm you." Amiti pondered this as his thin blade tried to find holes in Matthew's defense, while the Venus Adept used the size of the golden sword and its surprising speed to rapidly parry. "But she's shutting everyone out, minus Karis, since she refuses to let Sveta's sorrow overwhelm her."

"Maybe . . . It could be, too, that she's upset over seeing her brother die again . . . But I think there's more to it," Matthew countered both verbally. At the same moment, he also retaliated physically, sweeping his sword around to send Amiti's blade flying into the mast like a well-aimed dart, quivering in place for a few seconds. He held the blade to the prince's throat briefly, and then lowered it, sitting down with a sigh on one of the numerous crates. Wiping sweat off his brow, Matthew pondered the words he had just said.

It was more than intuition that made Matthew suspect that there was more to Sveta's withdrawal than her brother's death, or even the fast-approaching task of ruling Belinsk, provided that the city had survived the Grave Eclipse. Matthew still felt a feeble link tying him to Sveta, so he could tell that there was something else wrong. Before the ship docked, he swore to himself that he would figure out what was troubling Sveta so.

* * *

In the darkness, something moved.

_**So, at last, it has begun. My bonds weaken, and soon I shall have the power to be free of these chains.**_

The voice was soft and soothing to the ear, but behind it was also an extreme amount of malice and hatred.

_**All that remains is the key, and a host. And tonight, very soon, I shall have both.**_

The flash of red eyes, followed by amused laughter, then the words continued.

_**The key will compel them to seek me, though they do not know it. I will lure them to me, take the host and the key, and destroy them all the rest. I will finally be free to rule . . . and the world will burn in agony beneath my feet.**_


	2. Again, but Different

(Golden Sun not my property, not is any of its characters. Honestly, I'm not trying to make any money off of this, so do I need to type it? . )

"Nnn . . . Father, five more minutes . . ." Himi groaned, trying to push away the hands shaking her awake. She hated waking up so early when Yamata was so quiet and peaceful. She had to get up at some point, though, and get to the temple to offer her prayers. She turned her body to slide herself out of bed, blearily rubbing her eyes—

Then her bare feet pressed up against the hard planks of her cabin, reminding the Earth Adept where she was. She was on Eoleo's ship, heading for Belinsk to discover the fate of Sveta's city.

She finished rubbing her crimson eyes, and discovered it wasn't her father who had been shaking her. Someone else had been trying to wake her, while she was barely robed.

"RIEF?" she screamed, yanking her bed sheets around her small, slim figure. Her face turned as red as her eyes as shock and fury built up within her. The usually calm Miko girl was livid.

"What do you think you're doing in my room?" she yelled raising her hand, on the verge of summoning Judgment on the poor Mercury Adept; to Charon with the damage it could cause to the boat.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Rief apologized over and over, hearing the pure rage in Himi's voice. He tried to back towards the door, but instead found himself cornered with the infuriated Venus Adept bearing down on him.

To his credit, Rief had covered his eyes the moment he saw how underdressed the Yamatan Priestess was. He had been sent to get Himi, while Amiti went to wake Karis and Sveta up. He hadn't expected Himi to be barely dressed, though, so focused was he on awaking her.

Himi hesitated, her hand raised. Four of her Djinn were ready to be unleashed to pummel the water user, and most likely the rest of the ship, into oblivion. She took a deep breath and then suppressed the power, letting it fade as she calmed herself.  
"You realize you could have knocked . . ." She sighed, retreating to her bed and wrapping the bed covers tighter around herself. "I nearly ripped you to shreds." Rief was pretty much the only Adept on the ship who could match her, since his forte was Psynergy and she was the weakest of the group.

"I did . . ." Rief admitted, "only you were sleeping so soundly, it wasn't working." He slowly began to uncover his eyes, and then made sure his face was only fixed on Himi's. "It's urgent, though. Matthew called a meeting."

"Oh . . . Forgive me," Himi apologized with a reassuring smile. "I should not have been so quick to assume your attentions were impure." She hesitated, and then her eyes flicked over to her robes hanging alongside her bed.

Rief flushed red. He immediately understood, flushing red and walking outside of the room, closing the door behind him to wait.

Himi sighed, and then stood up, pulling her red, white and purple robes off the hook.  
"So, why are we having a meeting this late at night?" she asked as she pulled on the clothing, its style similar to that of a Japanese Hakama, though she had no way of knowing that. "And, why is the ship so quiet?" Have we arrived in Belinsk?" Somehow, even as she asked, Himi knew that this was not the case. There was no sound, not even the constant lapping waves, only a low howl Himi thought sounded rather familiar—

Then she understood, at the same moment Rief began to speak from the other side of the door.

"We're in the Otka Vortex again," Rief told her. "Matthew and Amiti were on watch, but it seemed to come out of nowhere. Matthew swore they only had seconds after noticing it to get inside, though I think if it had been that close they would have been swept away—"

Himi sighed again. As knowledgeable as Rief was when it came to books and other things, his people skills needed a lot of work. "So, in short, we're being taken to Otka Island again?" she asked, interrupting the blue-haired boy.

"Um, yeah. But . . ." Rief hesitated, his brow creased in confusion. "Something seems off this time. I could have sworn we were already out of the twister's path . . ."

Himi finished tying her raven hair into two pigtails in purple silk sleeves before slipping into her sandals. For a finishing touch, she strapped the Tisiphone Edge to her hip.

She'd gotten the blade from Obaba on their last trip to Champa. The Ankhol descendant told her that it had belonged to Jenna at one point, but after the Golden Sun she'dasked the smith to hold onto the blade, in case it was ever needed.

Himi, personally, felt she wasn't powerful enough to wield such a weapon. She didn't believe herself strong enough to use the powers the blade was rumored to hold, so she hadn't used it that often.

She finally walked out, nodding towards Rief. "Maybe the others will have an idea why that is. Shall we go to this meeting, then?" she asked.  
And the two headed to the captain's room for the meeting.

* * *

Karis looked grimly around the room, feeling the depressed undertone that enveloped it.

Had her father and her friends, she wondered, been like this after their victory at Mars Lighthouse? She couldn't be sure. Then again, her father's team hadn't lost anyone extremely close to them, except perhaps Karst and Agatio in Felix's case.

One of theirs, however, had lost their brother, twice, and the effects were showing. Even the buoyant Eoleo and carefree Tyrell were a little more morose than usual. Himi, too, looked around the room sadly and acknowledged the downcast feeling enveloping everyone.

The worst, though, were the two Mercury Adepts, Sveta, and Matthew. Rief, once a friendly, social, if bookish soul, had inexplicably become nervous around Amiti, occasionally stealing hesitant glances in his direction. The Ayuthayan Prince himself seemed distant. He had stolen a glance at Karis, yet a resigned look crossed his face before he looked away, barely speaking whatsoever.

Then there was Matthew and Sveta. Karis, for once, wished she had her father's power of mind reading so she could discern exactly what was wrong with two of her closest friends. She was relatively certain Sveta wasn't telling her the whole story about her nightmares and, from the look of it, they had something to do with Matthew. Whatever the case, she became tense whenever she was in the Venus User's presence.

Matthew, for his part, had seemed his silent, serious self when they first began their voyage back to the capital of Morgal. He had tried to visit Sveta once or twice, but the beastgirl always pretended to be sleeping, afraid to talk to him for some reason. Now, Matthew's silence had become somber, something that Karis had never seen in him.

Karis, however, wasn't as depressed as most of the others. Sure, it had been a terrible tragedy, and many had lost their lives. When they had visited Kaocho to deliver a granddaughter's gift to her grandmother, Karis had felt a surge of despair after finding the woman and her husband dead in their own house, killed by the monsters unleashed by the Grave Eclipse.

But she'd felt herself feeling a little happier upon seeing the spirits of the two elderly people, relishing in their own relief knowing that the Adepts made their granddaughter feel better by sending her the letter. She'd kept the sandals they were supposed to deliver to the deceased couple, wearing them whenever possible as reminder to herself that there would always be some hope and joy in the world.

"Alright, here's what's going on," Matthew began, unfurling a map of the Eastern Sea on the table in Eoleo's chart room. The group had planned all of their journeys there; all of their plans to find the Umbra Gear and the Orbs that unlocked Apollo Sanctum, and even the climb up the Endless Wall itself. Sure, things had always been serious, but there used to be hope in this room. Now, it was a mausoleum. "Our boat is caught in the Otka Vortex again."

The entire group groaned, with the exception of Rief and Eoleo, the latter only frowning.

"Hold on," the Champan pirate captain interjected, sounding confused. "I could have sworn we passed the route the vortex takes two days ago. How are we caught in the same blasted twister, then?"

"Well, Eoleo, that's the strange part," Kraden replied, stepping up to the chart. He'd been observing the group from a corner, similarly to Karis before their conversation started. "I tried to figure out what could have caused the Vortex to take such an off-course route, but nothing, not even some aftereffect caused by the firing of the Apollo Lens, should have the power to cause such a drastic shift." He shrugged, puzzled. "For the first time in a while, I can honestly say I have no idea why this happened."

_That_ got everyone's attention. It wasn't often Kraden did not know the answer to a problem, but when he didn't, usually the answer was bad.

"Umm . . . There's something else," Rief added hesitantly. "I asked Karis what she thought about the speed of the wind, on a hunch . . . and from what she told me"—he hesitated, gulping nervously—"I think the Vortex might be weakening."

Eyes went wide, glances of shock were exchanged. Matthew looked over at Karis for confirmation.

"It's true. The winds have died down since the last time we were caught in it," she replied grimly. She didn't want to say the next part, but she had to let them know.

"I think . . . they may die completely in about four hours."

If the room hadn't been silent before, it was now, almost literally, as quiet as a tomb.

"So . . . Most likely, we'll be stuck on that accursed island," Eoleo said bluntly, shoulders slumping as he voiced everyone's thoughts. Otka Island was surrounded by jagged rocks, making travel by any means besides the Vortex impossible. The only way out of the circle of stones was over.

"Sure, the place is big enough and there's enough lumber to make homes, and food from monsters, but the place just seems bloody unnatural," the Mars Adept continued, shocking everyone by standing up and heading for the doors.

"Where are you going?" Amiti asked in surprise.

"I'm letting my crew know that we're not going to be returning to Champa. From what I've heard, we're going to be stuck on this island until we die," Eoleo replied without turning around. He then walked out the door.

Everyone was shocked into silence. Eoleo, the "never-say-die," tough-as-nails pirate captain, had just admitted defeat.

(I feel depressed just writing these chapters . . . although I was cheered up writing Himi's part. Hooray for character development, everyone! ^^

Ah, Reviews. Or rather, a review and a half . . . XD

Culebra and Anti-Viper in regard to the villain: Maybe now, it's a little easier to figure out who it will be? I'm not trying TOO hard to conceal it.

Anti-Viper alone: Thank you for your kind review once again! I appreciate you taking the time to type up such lengthy reviews. You seem to be able to identify what I'm trying to convey in the chapter perfectly. Hopefully, you like what I've done with the underdeveloped Himi. She's in sore need of character expansion . . . But thank you for writing! And the confrontation you predicted will be happening rather soon . . .)


	3. Letting It All Out

(And I return! I am so sorry for such a long delay, but as many of you must know, summer can be so distracting! However, I finally found the time to type the chapter sitting in my notebook for the past month, so please enjoy it!)

* * *

"Okay, Rief, out with it. Something is troubling you, and it has to do with me," Amiti demanded. After Eoleo had abruptly ended the meeting by walking out in the middle of it, there had really been no point in continuing. Everyone had left on their own accord, except for Amiti and Rief, who had been blocked from leaving the room by his fellow Water Adept.

"What about me is upsetting you?" Amiti continued, noticing the nervous look in the Mercury user's eyes. The Prince of Ayuthay was hurt. He had always gotten along fine with Rief, up until the battle up in Apollo Sanctum. Now, his friend was acting distant, and, on a ship in the middle of the ocean, that was an amazing feat to accomplish over a week's time.

Rief flinched at Amiti's mildly frustrated tone, pushing his glasses up his nose to see clearly. "Sorry, Amiti . . . I've just had something on my mind since we left the Endless Wall," he apologized, not meeting Amiti's gaze.

"Several things happened at that time, Rief. Could you possibly be more specific?" Amiti requested. "We have been traveling together for almost a year now. I do not want us, when we get off this island and to our respective homes, to part on uneasy terms."

Rief bit his lip uneasily. "You haven't figured it out?" he asked cautiously, to which he received a negative head motion from Amiti.

"Well, while on our journey, a few things about you and your past caught my attention," the scholar-in-training began. "First, you don't know who your father is, though we do know a few things about him. Obviously, he was a Mercury Adept, and a powerful one if he was able to restore power to the Alchemy Well. Second, he was somebody who was trying to bring back Alchemy itself, once again because he reactivated the Well."

Amiti nodded, frowning. Why was Rief bringing this information up? They already knew all this, unless . . .

"Rief . . . are you saying you know who my father is?" he asked his friend. Rief nodded hesitantly.

"I'm pretty sure . . ." Rief replied. "My suspicions really took shape when we met with Tret and Laurel, but I wasn't positive until we arrived at the Sanctum."

Amiti might have been gifted with the Insight Glass, but this puzzle took him a minute to piece together. What was it about Tret and Laurel that made Rief wonder who his father—

Then it hit him like a tidal wave. A powerful Mercury Adept, one focused on reviving Alchemy. Tret and Laurel 'mistaking' him for a descendant of the Warriors of the Vale, just like his companions . . .

And, finally, the man he'd met twice on their adventure, the man who had been both an enemy and ally, whose hair was the same glacier-blue as his.

"Alex," the Prince of Ayuthay said, leaning against the wooden wall next to him in shock. "Alex is my father, isn't he?" The question was rhetorical, and filled with shame. "That's why you've been keeping your distance . . ."

"What? No! Amiti, that's only part of it!" Rief protested. "Why would I reject my friend, let alone my cousin? I was afraid you already knew, and I wasn't sure how to ask!"

Amiti started at the word _cousin_. Something else occurred to him.

He wasn't alone anymore.

Sure, he had become close to the other members of the team, even developing a crush on Karis. But deep down, Amiti had always craved the kin fate had deprived him of his entire life, with the mother who died giving birth to him, and the father he never knew.

Now, though, he realized he had a family he never knew about. Alex had a sister, Mia, who was Rief's mother, so he had two cousins. If Nowell was anything like her brother, they were cousins he would cherish. And an aunt . . . Amiti had heard so much from Rief about Mia's kindness and her quiet, yet gentle, demeanor.

But then Amiti's happiness vanished.

Alex. He was a murderer of many, a man who had betrayed his own sister for personal gain. This man was his father. In light of that, what were the chances Mia would accept the spawn of Alex?

"Amiti, I know Alex has done some awful things, but you're not him," Rief suddenly broke in, interrupting his relative's silent brooding, for once reading the fellow Mercury Adept's expression correctly. "You've helped us so much . . . You're brave, confident, and you've never put anything before us. You're nothing like Alex. Everyone else will say the same, I know it!"

Amiti smiled warmly, taking his friend's loyalty in. He was rather grateful to Rief. Still, he cringed at the thought of the others discovering his parentage.

"Thank you, Rief," he said, receiving an earnest and relieved smile from his newfound cousin. "But . . . I don't think I'm ready to let the others know. Would you keep it between us for a while?"

Rief considered this, then nodded. "Okay, Amiti, that's fine," he replied. "I'll trust my cousin's judgment." He grinned wryly at the word.

Amiti chuckled, grinning back. "Thank you, Rief." He stood up straight once more. "Now . . . do you think you could tell me a little about Imil?"

* * *

"Well, Stone, we're in quite a fix this time, aren't we?" Eoleo grunted, taking a long swig of a bottle of rum.

Normally, Eoleo wasn't one to drink, despite his image as a ruthless, rowdy pirate. Alcohol made him irritated, and, besides, he disliked stumbling around the deck of the ship like an idiot. Furthermore, he'd never seen his late father, Briggs, drink more than a gulp of ale in all his years as captain of the _Pride of Champa_.

But now, Eoleo didn't exactly care. It wasn't like he'd be sailing the ship across the ocean anymore, by the look of things. So here he was, drinking an entire bottle with his first mate in the cargo hold.

"Aye, a tighter spot than I've been in for a while, Captain," Soren 'Stonesplitter' replied, taking a polite sip of his own drink. Soren, or Stone as he preferred (he found 'Stonesplitter' to be too long of a name), had been second mate during Brigg's time as Captain, and now served as Eoleo's right-hand man.

"My grandmother . . . Obaba said she had something to teach me, last time we visited Champa," the Mars Adept continued, flinching at the thought of his home; burned to the ground and shadowed by the Grave Eclipse. Obaba had survived the onslaught of horrible, powerful beasts born from the darkness, but many others Eoleo knew from his childhood had not. There had been so many bones . . .

"Well, now it doesn't matter. I'll never know what she meant to tell me, since we'll be stuck on bloody Otka Island for the rest of our lives," he spat, making the name of their destination into a hateful curse.

Stone considered this for a moment, then set his flagon down. "Lad, I'm afraid I'll have to ask ye to release Eoleo from whatever prison you've trapped him in, because if ye talk like that, ye can't be him," he finally said, putting a hand on the hilt of the giant hammer strapped to his hip.

"Don't call me 'lad,' Stone," Eoleo snapped angrily, standing up from the crate he was seated on, his hand on the mace at his own side. Like Himi's Tisiphone Edge, the mace had been kept safe with Obaba, until a recent visit with the elderly descendant of the Ankohl smithing tribe. She had decided Eoleo was finally ready to wield the powerful weapon.

At the moment, Eoleo _really_ wanted to wield it.

Stone shrugged. He pulled the oversized hammer from his belt, hefting it high. "Looks like I have no choice, then. Ready yourself, boy!" he roared, surprising Eoleo with a swing. He was forced to pull out his own weapon to block. In moments, the two heavy tools were crashing against each other as the two pirates fought.

Normally, the outcome of such a match would be obvious. Both seafarers were strong, and relied on brute strength in most brawls. Eoleo was the stronger of the two, and a Mars Adept to boot, so usually he would emerge the winner.

But now, the red-haired pirate was half drunk, with the other half filled with frustration and helplessness. In addition, Soren wasn't called 'Stonesplitter' for nothing. Each time their weapons collided, Eoleo's hands jarred violently. He was so unprepared for the strength behind Stone's swings that he nearly dropped the mace several times. This allowed Stone to press the attack, the younger man barely bringing his weapon up to deflect it in time.

"See, ye can't be Eoleo!" Stone accused, continuing to rain blows on the Adept. "The captain's never one to let the enemy have the upper hand, or to admit defeat!" Stone, unbeknownst to Eoleo, was actually pulling his swings a little to keep from actually harming the redhead. Eoleo was too uncoordinated at the moment to do anything but defend, albeit very sloppily.

Almost as suddenly as it had started, the fight was over. Stone delivered a swing so mighty it drove Eoleo's weapon out of his hand. There was the sound of wood splintering, and the fire user looked down in astonishment.

The Vajra Mace was embedded in the planks that made up the floor of the ship. It was a miracle that it hadn't punctured the wood and sent the ancient weapon spinning into the Vortex surrounding the ship.

"Now, lad, remember, if ye give up like ye have—" Soren began.

"I haven't given up!" Eoleo protested, glaring up at his first mate.

"Then tell me why yer mace is on the ground, when I've been bested by you every time before!" Stone roared, silencing the shocked son of Briggs, then continued. "Like I was saying, if ye give up like I KNOW ye have, then yer not yerself. Now, be sure to tell me when the real Captain Eoleo returns." The black-bearded pirate picked up his flagon and climbed up the ladder; the only way out of the cargo hold.

Leaving Eoleo to reflect on the valuable lesson he had just learned about determination.

* * *

Sveta walked through the halls of the ship, drowning in her sorrow.

Some might have seen the Vortex's sudden arrival as a blessing, a delay from seeing the potential horror of her home city. But the added fact that she might never again see her beautiful Belinsk and help restore it was devastating.

Volechek had loved the city as much as his younger sister, and now the beastgirl burned in shame—shame that she would never see if her brother's sacrifice had been any good for the people of Morgal.

"Sveta . . ." a gentle voice murmured, making her flinch. A pair of familiar leather boots joined her bare feet in her aimless wandering through the ship. Neither Sveta nor Matthew spoke another word for several minutes, for neither knew what to say. One worried about his friend, the other _scared for_ her friend.

They passed a few members of the crew, half of whom eyed the pair with distaste. Sveta hadn't seen such hostile looks on the pirates' faces since one prejudice man had mad the mistake of glaring daggers at her and using rather derogative names for her race. Unfortunately, it had been done in the presence of Eoleo, so the pirate ended up disembarking a mile offshore from Yamata without a second thought.

Now, though, Sveta felt that the angry looks were well earned, at least for her. Technically, the entire situation _was_ her fault. If they hadn't been heading to Belinsk, at her request, and instead chosen to sail to Ayuthay, Champa, or even Himi's island home of Yamata, they wouldn't have been caught in the Vortex in the first place . . .

"It's not your fault. Nobody could have known that the twister would take such an unusual course," Matthew told her suddenly, his voice filled with sympathy and kindness.

Sveta shivered, a little uneasy at how well the Venus Adept could discern her thoughts. In the limited contact they had shared since Apollo Sanctum, Matthew had developed a strange knack for knowing what was on Sveta's mind and trying to help her with it.

"I know that, but we chose this destination because I asked. We could have been halfway to Ayuthay instead," she responded sadly, her face downcast, her long, pointed ears literally so as they drooped in sorrow.

"Rief was part of the reason we decided to sail north, too," Matthew reminded her. Belinsk was actually on the way to Imil, Rief's hometown, and both cities had been as much in the Eclipse's shadow as the water kingdom of Ayuthay and the seafaring town of Champa. All four cities were potentially in need of aid from the end of the Eclipse, but the team hadn't been to Belinsk since the start of the devastating event, and they hadn't been to Imil at all.

True, Mia, one of the original Warriors of the Vale and Rief's mother, was there. The Mercury Adept, however, was primarily a healer, not a fighter. Sveta only hoped that Kraden's theory about the Mercury Lighthouse had been correct. The old scholar had hypothesized that the light that the Lighthouse emitted could possibly negate the darkness, and hopefully be powerful enough to shield Imil.

The beastgirl remembered how they had passed the small hamlet, overshadowed by the towering Alchemy Machine, during their quest to find the Umbra Gear, which she now kept hanging next to her bunk. Sveta remembered how bright the Lighthouse shone as they sailed past the beach-less shore . . . but she also remembered seeing a great deal of indistinct figures clustered around the shining orb of light topping the spire. Whether that was a good or bad sign was anyone's guess.

"Sveta, maybe being on Otka would be a good thing," the blond-haired boy suggested gently. "When we're there, you'd be able to decide what to do when you do get back to Belinsk."

Sveta blinked, looking up at Matthew in surprise. The Venus Adept had hit the subject bothering her most right on the head, and had even tried to make things better.

Matthew hesitated, then plowed forward. "I might not be royalty, but my dad taught me a lot about working with others." He smiled wistfully, then Sveta was caught off guard once more as he let out a dry chuckle. "If he hadn't, I doubt this journey would have gone well at all. Most likely, Karis would have killed Tyrell over some mistake by now."

Sveta grinned wryly at the half-jest. Since coming aboard last, she had felt like her ears, a constant visible sign of her emotions, were permanently drooped in sorrow. Now, though, they raised a fraction, in correspondence with her lifted spirits.

Matthew was right. Sveta hadn't thought of things like he had suggested. She hadn't even given a thought to how she planned to rule the country her brother had left her. Perhaps Matthew had a point, and this exile would give her time to figure out exactly how she would reign. But . . .

"What if we never do leave?" she wondered aloud, her dejection returning, ears sinking back to shoulder level.

Then they shot all the way up in amazement as a gloved hand took her chin, tilting her face to look in the owner's grey-blue eyes.

"Sveta, we will. I promise, I'll find a way to get you home, no matter what it takes," Mathew vowed, his expression filled with evidence to how serious he was about his oath.

In that moment, all of Sveta's concerns and fears vanished. She lost herself in that loyal, kind face. How did he do that? How did Matthew make the rest of the world seem like it could wait, if only for a minute?

"Matthew . . . thank you for never giving up on me," the beastgirl mumbled softly, experiencing and pushing down the mental image of the earth user swinging his blade at her, as he had done in her dream. Why was she so scared of a nightmare? Karis had been right; dreams could not hurt her, so why let them ruin her relationship with the best friends she had ever had?

"Sveta, we're like family now, after all the things we've been through," Matthew replied gently. "And I would never let my sister feel like she has to shoulder the weight of the world."

That made Sveta gasp, tears springing to her eyes. She stepped closer to Matthew, feeling his strong arms wrap around her. She finally let the tears flow, burying her head in her friend's chest as he ran his hands through her long lavender braids reassuringly.

"It's alright, Sveta . . . I'm right here," she heard him say gently.

"I'll be here as long as you need me."

* * *

(Wow . . . this is quite possibly the longest chapter I've written so far! And now for reviews, or rather a warning to reviewers:

If you try to spoil the story by asking about it, I WILL delete your reviews. It's not fair to those who want to see how this story will develop, and I really don't like it.

But on a cheerier note: Anti-Viper, thank you again for reviewing my work! You manage to do so well, and in such a funny way! You made despair seem so banal until you started describing it. I love people who enjoy writing many things, even reviews.

I hope I can get the next chapter out sooner! I should probably put myself on a schedule . . .)


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